New Year's Day Wildlife Walk

I had volunteered to help with Paxton Pit's Wildlife Walk yesterday but, as the organiser said he had enough other helpers, I decided to do my task of recording what plants are in bloom on New Year's Day or just after. The answer was not much - 2 grasses plus Groundsel, Germander Speedwell and White Deadnettle. Bird life was abundant with all the expected duck species plus Goosander (Merganser merganser), Red-Breasted Mergansers (flew off before photograph!)  and Red Crested Pochard  - all a bit distant for my lens.

Misty Walk to Battersea on Boxing Day

A selection of images from our Boxing Day walk along the Thames to Battersea. Some worked best in monochrome, others in colour and some I couldn't decide!!

Happy New Year

 

Long Exposures Through the Day

Final series of long exposures from our London trip. These weren't taken on the same day but are in approximate time order though the sky conditions were different on the three days. First three images are all at 30secs with the 'big stopper' neutral density filter; Westminster Bridge 20secs (very impressed Phil stood still for most of the exposure), next two 15seconds and last two 60 seconds when fully dark. 

 

London Long Exposures at Dusk

I purchased a variable neutral density filter some years ago and was disappointed that it didn't work on my Fuji wide-angle lens. However I recently tried it on the X1000v and found it worked fine so I am now experimenting with very long exposures. Christmas Day was very murky and misty in London. Here are a few images that worked relatively well with the filter rotated to give 30-50 seconds exposures. Keeping the camera still on a fairly flimsy tripod proved a challenge!

Southbank London

We ended our final walk of our Christmas break at Southbank, as on our first day. It was a lot busier than Xmas Eve but people were keeping their distance and most, like us, were wearing masks when in busier areas. Certainly images that record the 2021 Covid Christmas in London.

Tate Modern

We booked tickets for the Tate Modern yesterday where the Turbine Hall exhibit is an impressive installation of intelligent robot jelly fish and fungi by Anicka Yi called In Love with the World. The drone-controlled intelligent sculptures float around responding to human warmth so gather where people are, supposedly emitting smells though this was not apparent (https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/hyundai-commission-anicka-yi). They learn from each other much as fungi react in the natural world.

 It was ticket entrance with no queueing and the galleries were pleasantly empty giving great opportunities for the type of compositions that I enjoy.